style
by to kill a flappybird
Summary: au. honey, life is just a classroom . lucas/maya and farkle/riley
1. life of the party

au. honey, life is just a classroom . lucas/maya and farkle/riley

a/n: first girl meets world fanfiction, pls no hate

ps this may be slightly ooc but meh.

this is a multi-chap

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**life of the party . **O1 ****

the kids your parents warned you about

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**Mi**ssy Bradford insisted that Riley just _had to go_ to this party at a friend [of a friend of a friend of a friend]'s house. After some convincing ["Riles, you have to live a little. I mean, you can't be a goody-two-shoes your whole life."], the shy brunette nodded in reluctant agreement. She was determined to cling to the plaster of the walls for the entirety of the party.

So, she rummaged through her closet for a dress suitable for her first—and last—high school party. Missy said that any skimpy dress would work, but, well, Riley didn't _own _anything skimpy. And her father, a kind and simple teacher, would never let her leave the house looking like a tramp. When her wide brown eyes landed on a floral baby-doll dress, she decided that would look wonderful with a modest jean jacket and her favorite boots. It was beginning to be chilly in New York anyways.

Cory Matthews was sprawled across the couch, a remote in his grasp. There was a rerun of some old nineties sitcom playing on the TV, and Riley knew it wasn't a particularly good time to interrupt. Instead of telling her father what she was doing that night, she said, "Hey dad, I'm gonna go sleep or something. Tell Auggie not to bother me."

And Cory said, "Okay, sleep well, kid," without even looking her way. If he had, he would have discovered that she was donning a night-on-the-town outfit rather than the night-in-her-room outfit he assumed she would be wearing. As oblivious as he was, he did catch the slightest whiff of her perfume. He didn't think much of it, really. He probably should have. _  
><em>

Once she was back in her room, Riley locked the door and peeled open her window. She stepped out on to the fire escape, her breath hitching as nerves wrecked havoc in her chest. She knew Missy was down below, impatiently waiting for her friend to get down already. Sucking in some fresh August air, Riley marched down the fire escape steps. Maybe Missy was right—she had to do this. She was always doing what was expected of her, letting people stomp all over her. It was time Riley did something _she_ wanted. [The girl failed to realize that she didn't even want to go to the party, and that Missy often was the person stepping on her].

The street was dampened with rain from a few short hours ago and the sun dipped down in the distance. When Riley checked her phone, it was 8:03 ["three minutes late!" she could already hear Missy screech]. The brunette linked arms with her friend as they walked, both singing along to a song they've heard a thousand times. Their heels clicked in unison on the sidewalk, and the butterflies in Riley's stomach continued to flutter relentlessly.

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**Ma**ya didn't think much good of the party she was at. The air was hazy and humid, the boys were fumbling drunk, and the soda smelled all too intoxicating for the petite blonde girl. The living-room-turned-dance-floor was stuffed to the brim with sweaty bodies grinding against each other. She looked away with distaste; instead studying the clutter of shoes shoved against the door and the way the dim lights of the kitchen flickered like a candle.

A boy sat down next to her at the makeshift bar and smirked. "Hey," the alcohol lingered in his words, "I haven't met you before." Maya gave him a quick once over. His polo-shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned, exposing a patch of his tan chest. The inky mess of hair on his head appeared greasy - he probably styled it before he came to the party. Nonetheless, Maya was unimpressed—and, frankly, he reeked of body odor and drunken love affairs.

"Perhaps we should keep it that way," she replied dryly. Before the guy could continue pestering her, Maya stood up and walked towards a different section of the apartment.

She then saw two girls with brown hair walk through the front door. One of them was immediately whisked off by some guy, probably her boyfriend or something, which left the other stranded. The girl glanced around timidly, most likely realizing that she didn't belong there. Maya frowned at her. It wasn't that she particularly liked parties—heck, she didn't know why she was there in the first place—but she at least understood the dynamics. She could handle herself with ease, she didn't trust any drink offers.

The girl standing in the open doorway was the kind of innocence that jerks corrupted.

So perhaps that's why she felt a need to help her. Maya simply didn't want that naive sparkle in her eye to vanish in the course of a terrible night.

"I'm guessing you don't go to many parties. First time?" she wondered when she made her way over to the entrance. The brunette crinkled her eyebrows in confusion before realizing _oh hey, this person is talking to me, _and then nodded slowly. "Sorry, I forgot my manners." Maya stuck out her hand. "I'm Maya. What's your name?"

The girl nimbly took her palm in her grasp and shook it. "Riley." She then withdrew her hand and thumbed the hem of her dress nervously. "My friend kind of ditched me so, um, could I just hang out with you and your friends until she comes back?"

"Well first," Maya held up a finger. "I don't have any friends that you would be comfortable around. And second," she held up another. "Your friend ran off with a guy. She's probably not coming back for you tonight."

Riley gulped, biting her lip. "Well, that's fine, I guess. We can just hang out and then I can, um, walk home later or something."

With a laugh, Maya said, "Right, right. Just follow me."

.

**Lu**cas thought he was finally alone on the bare rooftop of his new apartment building. His desolate room was all shadows and walls, and he wanted to escape the buzz of music drumming beneath his cold feet. The fresh New York air wasn't really fresh at all [actually, it was smoggy and smelled like gasoline on fire] but the wind whipping at his shirt reminded him of somewhere else, and the moon above him was the same one he looked at during the short summer nights in Texas.

It was hard to clear his mind when there was constantly _noisenoisenoise_ in the busy city that never sleeps. But he had a spectacular view of the bustling streets and towering skyscrapers. This place didn't feel like home—hell, it didn't even remotely resemble it—but it felt like adventure. He liked the taste of it.

He was finally finding himself at peace when three people thundered onto the roof, slamming the door behind them. He heard a girl's voice say something like "_Farkle, shut the hell up—why are you even still here?" _Lucas's head snapped in the direction of the three teenagers and he made awkward eye contact with each of them for approximately four seconds.

The girl with brown hair and dark eyes looked at him strangely, while the blonde paid him little attention. In fact, the red-headed boy was saying something to her, distracting her. It was clear to Lucas that he was also trying to capture the other girl's attention, but her mind was somewhere else.

Blonde-girl, sensing his discomfort, stepped towards him. "Hi, I'm Maya. That chick staring at you is Riley. The weird one is Farkle. His name really suits him, don't you think?" She sat down next to him.

Lucas chuckled softly. "Hello, I'm Lucas Friar and I'm an alcoholic."

"Hi, Lu-cas," Maya chorused, a teasing tone in her voice. "Hold on a second—where are you from, _cowboy_?"

"Texas." Evidently, it was easy to pick up on his accent, because every person he had come into contact with had asked about it. "I moved here about a month ago."

"That's really cool," Riley blurted. "I mean," she continued, "I've always wanted to go there. It seems so..different."

He nodded and felt Maya laugh beside him. Lucas liked the sound of it, how it felt genuine and nice. "Yep, and I bet country music is real big where you're from," she said with a nudge to his side.

Looking over to her, Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Gee, I have no clue what that is. Care to explain to me? I'm practically an ignorant foreigner."

Maya rolled her eyes. "You _are _an ignorant foreigner." She parted her lips to continue the banter, but music cut her off. When they glanced over, Farkle was messing with his phone. He met their gaze and shrugged innocently, as if to say _"We need music up in this biz." _It seemed to help, to some extent, because Riley appeared less nervous than before.

As the party raged down on the fourth floor of the building, a new one started on the rooftop.

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**At** the end of the night, they had spent all of their laughter and were fresh out of words to say. So they just stayed there, lying on the roof and staring at the starless sky. Sometimes, Riley would see a helicopter light flashing in the night, and she would pretend it was a shooting star.

She didn't want to face the fact that she would have to leave and perhaps never see them again. But when the time on her phone read 4:33, she knew she didn't have much of an option.

"Goodnight guys. I'll text you," she promised as she stood up to go. Goodbyes were always difficult to her. She didn't like them very much at all [but, really, no one does]. They murmured 'see ya's and 'until next time's and 'do you want me to come with you for, uh, protection's [to which she declined, "sorry, Farkle, but you're not exactly the muscle of the group. I can't see that working out too well." Farkle was saddened by her response but still nodded with understanding].

_But yeah, _she thought as she walked down the same wet pavement from earlier, now humming to a new tune. _Until next time. _

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><p><strong><em>tbc. <em>**


	2. cool kids

a/u: aye thanks for the reviews (: this chapter isn't very good or long but its a filler. the next chapter shouldn't take as long to update

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**cool kids . **O2****

heartbeats stepping out of line

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**Lu**nch on the first day of school was often nerve-wracking for students. Many were accustomed to sitting with the same crowd, while others had no clue what crowd they fit into. Riley usually sat with Missy Bradford and her cronies. They all walked into the cafeteria with girlish lunch bags laced around their fingertips, making their way towards the same table next to the windows, and sitting in the order they've been in since the ninth grade. Riley was placed between Missy and a girl named Angelina, having found a snug spot as Missy's "best friend" and second in command.

This year, the trek to their table was long and uncomfortable. Riley glanced around the lunchroom, almost desperate to find Maya or Lucas or even Farkle. Unfortunately, she was met with the heated gaze of the student body. They watched her posse saunter in with awe. Having now noticed their stares for the first time, Riley felt awkward and clumsy; like they were just waiting for her to fall out of step and be left behind.

She returned to looking straight ahead to avoid meeting the eyes of her peers.

"Riles, I had the best time with Andy last weekend at the party," Missy gushed as they sat down. With an uninterested nod, Riley began pulling the contents out of her bag [a turkey sandwich, grapes, a thermos for coffee, and watermelon gummies]. Her friend continued to drone on about her boyfriend, bragging about how perfect the night had been. Frankly, Riley didn't understand how it could have been so fantastic. The party was stuffy and smelled like alcohol, the music was blaring, and the people were _creepy. _She was lucky that Maya had come to her rescue, really. "-but I don't know, what do you think Riley?"

_I have not been listening to a word you just said, _Riley thought."Um, yeah, totally."

Missy looked at her with wide eyes and a frown. "You think I need to lose weight?"

"What?" she exclaimed. "No, I, uh, thought you said something else. Sorry. You look fine the way you are, Missy." _Missy is such a snooty name, now that I think about it, _Riley commented inwardly. _It sounds so bratty._

Missy smiled and continued to blabber on about something else. Out of the corner of her eye, Riley could see Lucas being introduced to the jocks. The edges of her lips turned up in a smile and she felt a warm fluttery feeling stirring in her stomach.

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**Ma**ya Hart wasn't sure where to go.

She felt suffocated in the heavily populated cafeteria. The room itself was long and wide, with high ceilings and fluorescent lights shining down on the student body. Strips of round tables were stretched across the space in tidy rows, black chairs tucked into them.

The blonde girl was never particularly unsure of herself but when faced with the first day of school, she couldn't help feeling stuck. Yes, she could sit with a group of skater kids and be done with it. Yes, she could duck into a stairwell somewhere and eat alone. But she was curious. She wondered if she would see _them_ again. Maybe she wouldn't have to settle for people she had little interest in befriending.

So she slipped through the lunch line and got her food, then looking out into the sea of people. Maya, caught up in her distraction, didn't even notice that she was walking straight into someone's chest until his cologne hit her nose and her cheeks brushed against his shirt. "My bad!" she quipped, trying to swerve around him without looking up to see who it was.

He caught her arm and wheeled her back around. "Hart?" Lucas quirked an amused eyebrow at her.

"Ranger Rick?" she mimicked with a smirk. "I was hoping I'd run into one of you, although I didn't expect it so literally."

They continued talking for a moment before one of Lucas's friends, Billy, arrived. "Got a girlfriend already, Friar? Slay."

Maya and Lucas laughed loudly. "Um," Maya said between giggles. "Yeah, _no._" Billy then whispered something in Lucas's ear, to which he grinned. There was one wondering glance from Maya and the useless idiot shook his head; as if to say, y_ou don't wanna know._

And she agreed internally that she probably didn't want to know.

"Well," Maya drawled. "I'll leave you with your friends, Cowboy, but do you know where Riley or Farkle sit?"

The boy opened his mouth to protest that he _would _in fact give up sitting with the guys to sit with them, but instead jutted his thumb in the direction of Riley's table. When Maya looked over she spotted her immediately, sitting next to her brunette friend from the party with a bored expression written on her features.

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**Ri**ley nervously nibbled on her food as she watched Missy give Maya a once over. The blonde had marched to their table and sat down right next to Riley as if it was nothing. Unfortunately, no one else thought of it as that. It was definitely _something_.

"So, Maya," Missy started, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I saw you talking to that guy over there. Are you two dating?"

Cringing, Riley bit into her apple. She knew what Missy was up to. It was interrogation mode. Whenever she felt threatened by someone, she would start questioning them incessantly. Drive them crazy. At some point, she would find a weakness. She always found a weakness.

"No. I saw you with a guy at that party last week. Are _you_ two dating?"

With a devilish smirk, Missy nodded. "Yeah, Andy and I have been going out for five months." Maya raised her eyebrows but said nothing. "What? Are you jealous that I could attract the attention of a boy while you clearly can't?"

Maya looked at her sheepishly. "Well, it's just that I saw him making out with Emily Taylor in the stairwell today. You should probably dump him."

Much to Riley's surprise, Missy didn't say another word to Maya. Perhaps it was the daring tone of Maya's words or the lingering honesty behind them. Maybe Missy was scared that the petite blonde girl was telling her the truth. So she frowned and stood up, going over to her boyfriend [the same place Lucas Friar was sitting at] and pulled him away. Only when she was gone did Maya admit to Riley that it wasn't Emily Taylor kissing him. It was Jake Roberts, but she figured that it would be more insulting to Missy to be cheated on with a boy instead of a girl.

There was a thundering sort of silence at the table. It was immediately engulfed with angry sobs upon Missy's return from the short discussion.

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**In **the afternoon, Maya was slumped at her desk with a frown playing on her lips. Detention was always rather boring and she hadn't expected to get in trouble so soon. _It's the first day of school for Pete's sake! _Maya groaned inwardly. If only she had remembered to do her summer homework, she could be home right now. Her mom would be at work, so she could finally take a nap in peace.

She was stirred from her thoughts when the classroom door squeaked open behind her. The teacher overseeing detention continued to snore behind his desk, and Maya found herself turning around to see who entered with a new-found curiosity. Strangely enough, it was Farkle. He smiled at her before shuffling into the chair beside hers. "Maya," he whispered loudly. "What are we supposed to do here?"

"I don't know, do your nerd stuff," she said with an eye roll. "What are you doing here? You're too goody-goody for detention."

Farkle glanced around with a nervous expression scribbled on his features. "It was nothing–I was just helping out a friend."

"Okay." Maya looked at him skeptically. "Whatever."

They sat there for the next twenty minutes in the quiet, waiting for the clock to strike four o'clock so they could finally go home. As soon as it did, they bustled out of the room and strolled to the metro. "So did you talk to them today?" Maya heard him ask.

She stopped in her steps and looked at him. "Yeah. After lunch with Prissy Missy, Riley couldn't stop talking about what an amazing night it was. Well, she couldn't stop talking about how amazing Lucas was, anyways." Farkle went pale and frowned at that, and Maya couldn't help but wonder why he was crestfallen. However, she certainly didn't make a point of asking about it. "Well, I'll see you, Farkle. We should all hang out at school sometime."

"Yeah," he said. "Sometime."


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